Method to organize and track information according to chronological and priority order

ABSTRACT

The method to organize and track information is a method to track information such as a person&#39;s name, telephone number, follow up dates, priority, and task number. A person may use the method to track information and to easily and quickly store, retrieve, and sort the information (FIG.  1 ). In the preferred embodiment, the method to organize and track information can sort the information base on the follow up date, priority, and task number and decisions base on the information sorted in accordance with the criteria desired by the person.

BACKGROUND-FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method to organize andtrack information such as things-to-do. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to a method to organize things-to-do according tofollow up dates and priorities.

BACKGROUND-DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Every person must keep track of a long list of things-to-do in themodern society. These things-to-do may comprise of information such astasks that must be performed, a telephone call that must be made, andcustomers or clients that needs follow-up contacts. These informationmust be readily and easily organized and be easily retrieved and sortedin the desired fashion to be useful.

Currently, there are no convenient methods to store and retrieve theseinformation in a sorted fashion. The most widely used method is toeither utilize a spreadsheet or a database software to store, retrieve,and sort the information. However, although the generic multi-purposespreadsheet or database software may perform these functions adequately,they do not provide nearly the level of ease and usefulness of thepresent invention. The spreadsheet or the database software arecomplicated and requires a steep learning curve before the user can usethe software proficiently to retrieve the information in the formathe/she desires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method to track information such as a personor a company's name, telephone number, follow up dates, priority, andtask number. A person may use the present invention to easily andquickly store, track, retrieve, and sort the information.

In the preferred embodiment, the method to organize and trackinformation sort the information base on the follow up date, priority,and task number and allow a person to make critical decisions base onthe information sorted in accordance with the criteria desired by theperson.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart that shows the method to organize and trackinformation such as things-to-do.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the method to organize and track informationis shown in FIG. 1 and comprises the steps of inputting information,such as a person or a company's name, telephone number, follow up dates,priority, and task number, into appropriate fields in a database,querying the database, retrieving the records that match the querycriteria, sorting the retrieved records based on the follow up date,priority, and task number, and presenting the sorted records forviewing. This method allows a person to make efficient criticaldecisions based on the information presented.

Information, such as a person or a company's name, telephone number,follow up dates, and priority, is gathered and the information isassigned a sequential task number. These information are entered intoappropriate fields in a record in the database. The records in thedatabase may be sorted using any field as the index. The database mayalso be sorted using one field as the primary index and another field asthe secondary index to further organize and sort the records. In thepreferred embodiment, the follow up date field is used as the primaryindex and the priority field is used as the secondary index. The tasknumber field is used as the third index to avoid duplicate keys whichmay cause key violations in the database. The task number is assignedpermanently to a record, and when a record is deleted the task numberfield for the remaining records will not be renumbered. When a newrecord is added, the new record will be assigned the next available tasknumber.

The user may query the database to obtain the information he/she needs.One method of query may be locating records with follow up dates priorto the date of query or a particular desired date. This query will allowthe user to locate past due follow up dates that require immediateaction. The user may also query the database for specific information inany particular field in the records. Another useful query that the usermay perform is to locate records with follow up dates between twospecified dates. This query will allow the user to plan his/herschedules and the necessary actions that must be taken within aspecified period of time.

After the matching records are located within the database, the recordsare retrieved and sorted in accordance with the requirements of theuser. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the finalsorted records are presented to the user on a video screen for viewing.The user may then make efficient critical decisions based on theinformation presented.

Although the description above contains many specificities, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodimentsof this invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determinedby the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by theexamples given.

1. A method to organize and track information such as things-to-docomprising the steps of: inputting the information, such as a person ora company's name, telephone number, follow up dates, priority, and tasknumber, into appropriate fields in a database; querying the databasebase on the current date; retrieving the records with follow up datesearlier than the current date; sorting the retrieved records based onand in the order of the follow up date, priority, and task number; andpresenting the sorted records for viewing; wherein a person may makeefficient critical decisions based on the information presented.
 2. Amethod to organize and track information such as things-to-do as inclaim 1 wherein the retrieved records are sorted based on and in theorder of priority, follow-up date, and task number.
 3. A method toorganize and track information such as things-to-do comprising the stepsof: inputting information, such as a person or a company's name,telephone number, follow up dates, priority, and task number, intoappropriate fields in a database; querying the database base on adesired field; retrieving the records with fields that match the queriedcriteria; sorting the retrieved records based on and in the order of thefollow up date, priority, and task number; and presenting the sortedrecords for viewing; wherein a person may make efficient criticaldecisions based on the information presented.
 4. A method to organizeand track information such as things-to-do as in claim 3 wherein theretrieved records are sorted based on and in the order of priority,follow-up date, and task number.
 5. A method to organize and trackinformation such as things-to-do comprising the steps of: inputtinginformation, such as a person or a company's name, telephone number,follow up dates, priority, and task number, into appropriate fields in adatabase; querying the database for records with follow up dates betweentwo desired dates; retrieving the records with follow up date field thatmatch the queried criteria; sorting the retrieved records based on andin the order of the follow up date, priority, and task number; andpresenting the sorted records for viewing; wherein a person may makeefficient critical decisions based on the information presented.
 6. Amethod to organize and track information such as things-to-do as inclaim 5 wherein the retrieved records are sorted based on and in theorder of priority, follow-up date, and task number.